Ill children at Sheffield hospital receive Christmas presents from 12-year-old

Stephanie Bateman

A generous youngster has been delving deep to spread Christmas joy to sick children this festive season.

Jasmine Allsop, aged 12, who was diagnosed with brittle bone disease in the summer has not let her ailment stop her and has been fundraising, and saving her pocket money, for months so she could buy presents for those attending Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where she has previously received treatment.

She said: “For the past two months I’ve been collecting Christmas presents for the children at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. In July I found out that I had brittle bones and early stages of scoliosis so now I come here every few months to get treatment. They’ve helped me so I wanted to help them. When I went out to buy them it took me the whole day. I did a cake sale at my dance school and I did a raffle and I used all my money that I’ve been saving – I’ve been using my pocket money that I’ve saved up. I got to Ashfield school in Kirkby – it takes us about an hour to get here. I don’t like how most people will be at home for Christmas and they get to wake up a have piles of presents and then people here are in hospital beds and aren’t very well. So I wanted to get them more presents. It was really fun getting them! I hope the children staying in hospital get better soon because I don’t like thinking about them being in hospital on Christmas Day.”

Jasmine’s mum, Kelly Verity, aged 35, said: “I’ve got four children altogether and in October I asked them to start thinking about what they might like from Santa and to start writing a list. Jasmine turned round and said ‘I don’t want anything – I just want to give back’. We’re very proud of her.”